Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park

1800s – 1916 Discovery Protection Development

Why is Yellowstone important? Why is Yellowstone important?: Features • Historical significance • Water erupting from ground – First US and World National Park • Established in 1872 – Not first protected place in US – Hot Springs, AR (Federal Reservation in 1832) and Yosemite (Public Trust in 1864) – Protected because of its features

1 Boiling mud Awesome canyons

The Instigators Organic Act of 1872

• Ferdinand V. Hayden, a Civil War veteran • Created Yellowstone National Park and head of the US government's new • Two acts: geological survey, surveyed the area – Preserve the wonders of the Park • Northern Pacific Railroad argued that the – Wonders to be enjoyed and to benefit the public land was worthless for cattle and farming • Little money given to this endeavor: Congress led to believe that Park would by self-serving. • Also, what does it mean to “preserve”?

2 Preservation obstacles Early years

• Poachers – illegal hunting • From 1872-1885: early Park • Squatters – build ramshackle facilities for Superintendents struggled to protect the tourists park with little money • Railroad – wanted to build a railroad – Also interpret the idea of “preserve” and allow through the Park Yellowstone to be enjoyed by public – Set up laws protect features (hard to enforce) • Vandals – ruined geysers and hot springs – Scientific exploration – Set up a few structures and roads

Failure Here comes the Calvary! • 1886: no money from Congress resulted in • Congress failed to enact penalties for laws the Department of Interior asking the U.S. broken on federal land Army to take over the administration of the Park • No jurisdiction (federal land surrounded by state land) • Troop “M,” First U.S. Cavalry, stationed at Fort Custer, Montana Territory was given • Little money the assignment • Tried to expel transgressors but they returned – Poaching of wildlife – Destruction and removal of artifacts

3 U.S. Calvary • The Army succeeded to a large extent in protecting the park’s natural curiosities • Army in the Park from 1886 - 1916 and much of its wildlife, and in building an • Army’s mark on Yellowstone and the infrastructure of administrative facilities National Park Service still evident today that is still in use today • Success of Army attributed to: – Ability to bring order and management structure to Park – Manpower – Able to manage people (tourists and locals alike) – enforce rules

The Army Footprint Headquarters

• Established Fort Yellowstone at Mammoth Hot Springs, (Park Headquarters today) • Built barracks, parade grounds, administrative buildings

4 Soldier Stations • Established soldier stations throughout the Park to help guard the resources • Many of the stations later became areas of development

Established roads

• Architecture of the soldier stations and • Rudimentary road system in place when other Army buildings influences other Army took over in 1886 building designs • Engineer Officer Hiram Chittenden, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, oversaw much of the construction of Park roads and other infrastructure

5 • Within 20 years of the Army entering Yellowstone, the basic • Road system is a road system of the “Figure 8” Park was in place and is still in place today • 3 mountain passes • 5 entrance 8 stations

Wildlife

• Extermination of bison had left the herd dangerously close to extinction • Army established the Buffalo Ranch in the northeast part of the Park in order to manage and cultivate the herd • Other efforts to protect the MOST of the wildlife in the Park

6 Concessionaire development Idea of Yellowstone • Northern Pacific Railroad was interested in marketing Yellowstone to wealthy tourists • The Western National Park: • Called Yellowstone the “Wonderland” – Has cookouts – Rustic furnishings • Began rail service to Yellowstone in 1883 – Cowboys – Sagebrush Concessionaire: company that has permission to –Bison operate a specific type of business in a protected place • Different from Glacier National Park – The prices and the goods offered are regulated, more so today than in the past. development by Burlington Northern – Glacier became the “American Swiss Alps” locale

• Tourists would arrive near the North Entrance of the Park (Gardiner, Montana) and be taken into the park in carriages (eventually tourists were also brought in the West Entrance)

7 • Way stations (for food and rest) were set Developed area choices up a day’s ride away from each other • Tourists visiting Yellowstone prior to 1917 had few choices of lodging • Most places have tent camps • Few places had established hotels, generally designed for the wealthy tourist

Mammoth Hot Springs

• Fort Yellowstone • Hotel established to handle guests • Evolved from rudimentary to rustic – maintaining the “western feel”

8 Norris Geyser Basin

• The second stop on tour had a camp, not a hotel • The idea of “roughing it” by staying in a tent appealed to wealthy tourists • The basin itself has the largest concentration of thermal features in the Park

9 Old Faithful Area

• One of the highlights of the tour: Old Faithful Geyser and the surrounding thermal features • Old Faithful Inn – large log structure 7 stories high

Lake/Fishing Bridge Area

• Situated besides Yellowstone Lake (the highest alpine lake in the country), Lake Hotel was build with a regal attitude

10 Canyon Village

• The third “must-see” on a trip to Yellowstone was the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone – Located downriver from Yellowstone Lake – 2 waterfalls

11 Protection Automobiles enter the Park

• Despite other protected places allowing cars • During the time of building and establishment of in their Parks, Yellowstone forbade cars until visitor services, the Park also acquired protection. 1915, when officials were forced to do so in • 1900 Lacey Act (still in place today) protects both the hopes it would increase revenues plants and wildlife by creating civil and criminal penalties for a wide array of violations. • For a brief time, cars and horses existed on • A concerted push for protection of game also the same roads until the use of carriages occurred as park officials became aware of the were discontinued tenuous situation of the park’s bison population and took steps to reinvigorate it.

Cars • Cars changed the landscape: tourists were • 5,000 cars entered no longer confined in coaches Yellowstone in 1917 • Way stations were no longer essential and • Today, more than 3 several were closed million people visit Yellowstone • Car camping (along the side of the road) was acceptable to lower class citizens • Automobile Camps were established in the Park

12 Transfer of Power What the Army left behind

• National Park Service was created on August 25, • A road system 1916. • Management of Yellowstone transferred to the NPS • Buildings • The mandate and philosophy of the new bureau • Protected resources were drafted by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., as part • Most wildlife in better conditions than of the National Park Service Act. “[The NPS’s] fundamental purpose,” wrote Olmsted, “is to when they arrived conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

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